Child of the Sun Festival Thrives and Grows

Wednesday

Apr 3, 2013 at 5:34 PM

By MATT REINSTETLETHE LEDGER

Downtown Lakeland will be filled with the sounds of footsteps hitting pavement and jazz music in the air.The Lakeland Rotary Club Child of the Sun Jazz Festival and Urban Triathlon will be all day Saturday around the Lake Mirror Promenade in Lakeland.This year's jazz festival will start an hour earlier, 3 p.m., with Lakeland pop-folk rock band the Brian Sutherland Trio. Sutherland performed for the VIP party at last year's festival and was so well-received they moved him to the main stage. "We're pretty thrilled," Sutherland said. "We think it's an awesome opportunity for us to share the stage with some really talented, talented musicians."Other jazz acts returning to the stage include the Florida Southern College Jazz Ensemble, the Jeff Phillips Collective and Belinda Womack."She's a phenomenal vocalist and has always been a crowd favorite," Michelle Ledford, marketing chair of the Child of the Sun Festival, said about Womack.Headlining the event is Bogus Pomp, a Frank Zappa-inspired group playing rock, jazz and everything in between. Over the years, the group has performed with The Florida Orchestra and The Boston Symphony.The first Child of the Sun Festival was held in 1988 and continued until 2007. After a financially forced hiatus, the Lakeland Rotary Club has operated the event the last three years with the addition of the fitness events. Approximately 5,000 guests are expected to attend this year's festival.The day starts with the 5K run through downtown at 7:15 a.m. People interested can sign up online or on the day of the race.The Urban Triathlon features a 0.33-mile swim around Lake Mirror, a transition to a 12-mile bike ride through downtown and then close out with a 5K run.This year's event features several new elements to the fitness side of the event. There will be a Kids Fun Run for ages 2 to 12. This free race will divide the kids into age groups and have them run various lengths, from 1K (0.6 miles) for ages 7 to 12 to 25 yards for ages 2 to 3. All kids participating will receive a ribbon and a goodie bag.There will be a Heart Healthy Pledge Walk beginning at noon, which will continue until 2 p.m. The pledge walk is for anyone interested in raising money or awareness for the Rotary Club's AED Project. AED, or automated external defibrillator, is a portable device that administers an electric shock to restore a steady heartbeat after a heart attack."We have one member whose life was saved from an AED available on site where he fell from his heart attack," said Ledford, a Rotary member. "We also have another member who lost his wife, had there been an AED within close proximity, her chances of survival would have been increased. So our Rotary Club has a very personal story in why we've adopted this special project."Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for watching the jazz festival, but guests also are asked to leave coolers at home, as money from food and drink vendors goes to the AED project.The goal is to put an AED in every Lakeland Police Department car. Their goal is to raise $120,000. The cost of one AED is $1,200."You don't have to participate in the event in order to contribute. Anyone can make a donation because this is benefitting the entire community," Ledford said. "For the Lakeland Police Department as first responders to have these devices, it benefits every resident here."

Matt Reinstetle can be reached at matt.reinstetle@theledger.com or 802-7533. Follow Matt on Twitter @LedgerMatt.